Van Cleef & Arpels Men Concentrated Cologne

Just got my hands on the following:

It bears the same relationship to the original Van Cleef & Arpels Pour Homme EDT as does Chanel &#201;go&#239;ste Cologne Concentr&#233;e to the original Chanel &#201;go&#239;ste EDT. Namely, the Concentrated Cologne/Cologne Concentr&#233;e in both cases is not an eau de parfum version of the original. It is an eau de toilette version of the original in which the base notes feature more prominently than the top and heart notes. The top notes, and to a large extent the heart notes, have been almost entirely minimized, and the base notes have been concentrated. Like Chanel &#201;go&#239;ste Cologne Concentr&#233;e, that's why this one also goes by the designation "Van Cleef Arpels Men Concentrated Cologne" and not eau de parfum.

The bottle of the Van Cleef & Arpels for Men Concentrated Cologne even goes so far as to keep the Eau de Toilette designation on the bottle (see photo), and even on the other side of the box, it simply states "Van Cleef & Arpels Pour Homme Eau de toilette vaporisateur" (photo will be posted soon).

If you find the leather chypre element of Van Cleef & Arpels Pour Homme more to your liking than the strong herbal clove rose accord, then Van Cleef & Arpels for Men Concentrated Cologne is what you want. If, of course, you're fortunate enough to stumble across it like I did.

Re: Van Cleef & Arpels Men Concentrated Cologne

Oh, my god, proof that there is life before the current edition of everything for all those out there that go to sleep and have their memory erased, like in the film Dark City. History is king and Queen.
Thank you to the spirit of Basenotes, scentemental, gupts and all the others here that keep their posts connected to reality.

Re: Van Cleef & Arpels Men Concentrated Cologne

Originally Posted by Ruggles

Oh, my god, proof that there is life before the current edition of everything for all those out there that go to sleep and have their memory erased, like in the film Dark City. History is king and Queen.
Thank you to the spirit of Basenotes, scentemental, gupts and all the others here that keep their posts connected to reality.

I know what you're saying Ruggles. One has to stay alert always to the fact that the current version of reality crammed down our throat is no less true in the media than it is with reformulations that rely on a quiet forgetting or, at best, a blithe unknowing. I take pride in that very little slips by me. There's some advantage to having lived with fragrances in their various incarnations for just on 30 years.

Re: Van Cleef & Arpels Men Concentrated Cologne

I have this and do find that the basenotes dominate it, and it has ridiculous longevity on me.

Glad to have my initial impressions confirmed Gimpy. It certainly does have "ridiculous longevity."

Originally Posted by jellybean1973

Pray tell where you lucky people get hold of these gems!!!

Originally Posted by InconcievableZen

Unbelievable scentemental! Just when you think you can sleep trough the night, someone awakens some fire inside you Did you get it on ebay?

Originally Posted by zztopp

Scentemental, where did you find this rare concentration of VC pour homme ? And may we know how much you paid for it ?

No I didn't get it from eBay. I got it from an independently owned bricks-and-mortar perfumery. The only problem with buying from this place is that the owner really knows his stuff. Every now and then he has something rare for me but the price always matches the rarity. I paid $70.00 for this gem. Expensive, yes, but curiosity got the better of me. I have already written the expense off as a necessary part of my fragrance education, so I am more than cool with having paid that much. Life goes on.

Re: Van Cleef & Arpels Men Concentrated Cologne

I like this scent so much, but I was unaware of the reformulations. So how many ersions are there now and how they compare to each other? When the scent was changed? I tested it several times over last four years and always liked it.